The day has come: Yooka-Laylee is out on all systems; barring the occasional patch here and there, that's the end of the company's first game.So once the team have recovered/gone on holiday, what comes next?

* Perhaps they'll want to diversify their portfolio and jump into a totally different genre from 3d platforming:Perhaps a Diddy Kong Racing-style racer or an adventure game?

* Alternatively they could cooperate with a larger company and make a game based on an existing IP? It was Donkey Kong Country that put Rare on the map.

There was an AMA on reddit yesterday and apparently they have more than one project in mind and they "don't want to limit [themselves] to any genre or size of game", though they haven't gone into details.When asked if they would consider working with Nintendo in a new DKC title they said "yes". And when asked what Rare games they would like to make spiritual sucessors of, they said Gavin Price would like to do "Jeopardy" or "Jet Force Gemini", Hamish Lockwood would like to do "Diddy Kong Racing", Simon Gerges would like "Blast Corps", and Steve Mayles would like "Grabbed by the Ghoulies".Obviously these last two questions are to be taken with a grain of salt, there is a huge gap between wanting to do something and getting it done, but at least the possibilities are there.

Personaly I think they should do something very different to Yooka Laylee in genre and gameplay, and original, to show that they can.

Gorjo wrote:There was an AMA on reddit yesterday and apparently they have more than one project in mind and they "don't want to limit [themselves] to any genre or size of game", though they haven't gone into details.When asked if they would consider working with Nintendo in a new DKC title they said "yes". And when asked what Rare games they would like to make spiritual sucessors of, they said Gavin Price would like to do "Jeopardy" or "Jet Force Gemini", Hamish Lockwood would like to do "Diddy Kong Racing", Simon Gerges would like "Blast Corps", and Steve Mayles would like "Grabbed by the Ghoulies".Obviously these last two questions are to be taken with a grain of salt, there is a huge gap between wanting to do something and getting it done, but at least the possibilities are there.

Personaly I think they should do something very different to Yooka Laylee in genre and gameplay, and original, to show that they can.

Gorjo wrote:Personaly I think they should do something very different to Yooka Laylee in genre and gameplay, and original, to show that they can.

Hard to say, I’d argue that they should immediately start developing a sequel to Yooka, with all the experience and criticism they earned with this. I think they can make a great sequel if they rely on their strengths and streamline a lot of things - while being a bit more confident with what they’re keeping from the old Banjo games and what not.

BTW @OP: We know that DLC, 64 bit Tonic and the orchestral soundtrack are still a thing. So that comes certainly before all the stuff we’re talking about right now

Rueckkoppler wrote:Hard to say, I’d argue that they should immediately start developing a sequel to Yooka, with all the experience and criticism they earned with this. I think they can make a great sequel if they rely on their strengths and streamline a lot of things - while being a bit more confident with what they’re keeping from the old Banjo games and what not.

I'm not so sure that would stand them in good stead as a company - if they immediately pigeonhole themselves as "that company that does those 90s-style 3D platformers", that would be a hard perception to change.

I think it's better if they diversify and show off what they can do with various genres.

Rueckkoppler wrote:Hard to say, I’d argue that they should immediately start developing a sequel to Yooka, with all the experience and criticism they earned with this. I think they can make a great sequel if they rely on their strengths and streamline a lot of things - while being a bit more confident with what they’re keeping from the old Banjo games and what not.

I'm not so sure that would stand them in good stead as a company - if they immediately pigeonhole themselves as "that company that does those 90s-style 3D platformers", that would be a hard perception to change.

I think it's better if they diversify and show off what they can do with various genres.

You’re probably right. That might be a good way to avoid most comparisons and start fresh. Maybe it’s just the Banjo fan in me that wants a critically acclaimed big 3D platformer right away. It’ll certainly bring some advantages if they do it later, too. Like having a bigger company and more capacities for quality testing. And probably having more time to observe the competitors and come back with their own spin on modern things, like back in the days.

Last edited by Rueckkoppler on Tue Dec 26, 2017 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Rueckkoppler wrote:You’re probably right. That might be a good way to avoid most comparisons and start fresh. Maybe it’s just the Banjo fan in me that wants a critically acclaimed big 3D platformer right away. It’ll certainly bring some advantages if they do it later, too. Like having a bigger company and more capacities for quality testing. And probably having more time to observe the competitors and come back with their own spin on modern things, like back in the day days.

All good points.Particularly with regards to QA; from the team listing on the website, it sounds like Lee Jackson was doing it all virtually singlehandedly as the one and only QA tester on a team of 25-ish.On a game spanning various systems like this one, it'd be a stretch for ANY man to do on his own.

Rueckkoppler wrote:You’re probably right. That might be a good way to avoid most comparisons and start fresh. Maybe it’s just the Banjo fan in me that wants a critically acclaimed big 3D platformer right away. It’ll certainly bring some advantages if they do it later, too. Like having a bigger company and more capacities for quality testing. And probably having more time to observe the competitors and come back with their own spin on modern things, like back in the day days.

All good points.Particularly with regards to QA; from the team listing on the website, it sounds like Lee Jackson was doing it all virtually singlehandedly as the one and only QA tester on a team of 25-ish.On a game spanning various systems like this one, it'd be a stretch for ANY man to do on his own.

Yeah, they should really reduce the scope of the next game if it brings bigger polish. Whenever I describe Rare to someone, I say that they matched and even surpassed Nintendo's own quality in games. It's not only the humor or the style of these games that many people love and I hope Playtonic understands this. If not, it's going to be hard for me to give my money to them.

Rueckkoppler wrote:Yeah, they should really reduce the scope of the next game if it brings bigger polish. Whenever I describe Rare to someone, I say that they matched and even surpassed Nintendo's own quality in games.

Not sure I'd go quite that far, but you're certainly right about the polish.Smaller but more polished is preferable to the alternative.

By the way: When I think about it, I wish them to be done with Yooka soon and move on to the next project. They should still develop DLC, that I agree with, but they should save their funds and not do the orchestral score, it doesn't make too much sense to patch this back in. It would be fine, yes, but regarding Grants work I only really loved the hub world music and the tracks from world 2. I prefer his soundtrack to Mario + Rabbids so much over Yookas - it's how it should be: Goofy, very, very catchy and great tracks that interweave with the world's visual theme (a song of ice and desert). For a sequel, I wish he would follow this path as well.

Rueckkoppler wrote:By the way: When I think about it, I wish them to be done with Yooka soon and move on to the next project. They should still develop DLC, that I agree with, but they should save their funds and not do the orchestral score, it doesn't make too much sense to patch this back in. It would be fine, yes, but regarding Grants work I only really loved the hub world music and the tracks from world 2. I prefer his soundtrack to Mario + Rabbids so much over Yookas - it's how it should be: Goofy, very, very catchy and great tracks that interweave with the world's visual theme (a song of ice and desert). For a sequel, I wish he would follow this path as well.

Actually... I’m quite excited for what’s next, the team has ramped up in size and got all cuddly together for a while now, we can do without the Stamper Brothers, they are not the only 2 visionaries in the world or something.

So Playtonic... Show me your next move, Yooka Laylee was a good appetizer to get back properly into Game Development and with all the feedback that you guys recieved I’m sure there’s a wealth of knowledge right now.

I hope they prioitize making a 3D Donkey Kong similar to that of Donkey Kong 64. The world has been waiting for this game and I believe this is the company to do it. After that I would like a sequel to Yooka Lawlee. 3D platformers are gonna make a comeback and this company if they play their cards right can corner the market.

I'm with you Johnny Utah. Been waiting for a DK64 sequel for 20 years. After Super Mario Odyssey and BotW re-invented their franchises, it's DK's turn next. We've only had one 3D game. Make it happen Playtonic!